The state-owned Schiphol airport group booked a 5% drop in net profit in the first six months of this year, but passenger numbers rose 3.7%, the company said on Friday.

Net profit was €93m over the first six months of the year, compared with €97m in the 2011 first half on total revenue up 5.5% at €637m.
Passenger numbers rose to nearly 24 million while there was a 2.2 increase in aircraft movements – equivalent to nearly 206,000 take offs and landings. Freight traffic fell 3.2% in line with expectations.
‘Despite the present economic downturn, the aviation industry remains a source of dynamic activity,’ Schiphol’s CEO Jos Nijhuis said in a statement.